WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A 32-year-old woman wielding a machete was arrested Sunday outside the White House, the Secret Service said.

Spokeswoman Kim Bruce said Ashwak Saleh was taken into custody and charged with possession of a prohibited weapon after she displayed a 13-inch machete on the sidewalk outside the White House.

Saleh was arrested at 2:20 p.m. and taken to Washington Metro Police Department 3rd district for processing.

Witnesses said Saleh was sitting on the sidewalk when she pulled the machete out of a leather sleeve and began sharpening it on the edge of the sidewalk.

The witnesses said passersby then alerted Secret Service officers, one of whom approached the woman and told her to "Drop the blade."

To that, Saleh said, "What are you going to do -- shoot me?"

The witnesses said the officer repeated his command, then took Saleh into custody when she wouldn't comply.

Who could know what her plan was? I suspect she intended to hack a few people to death and be shot by the police in the act, chickened out, and deliberately sabotaged her own effort by sitting down and sharpening her machete on the sidewalk.

My chief captor had an idea about how to prod the US government into action: another video.

He said this one would be different, and left.

I turned to the two guards sitting on cushions a few feet away and started to panic. Really, really panic.

"Oh my God, oh my God, they're going to kill me, this is going to be it. I don't know when but they're going to do it," I thought.

I crawled over to Abu Hassan, the one who seemed more grown-up and sympathetic. His 9mm pistol was by his side, as usual.

"You're my brother, you're truly my brother," I said in Arabic. "Promise me you will use this gun to kill me by your own hand. I don't want that knife, I don't want the knife, use the gun."

Her pathetic* pleading to be shot to death rather than have her head sawn off reminds me of the horrible Morton's Fork that the WTC jumpers faced: plummet to their deaths, or be burned alive? Read the whole thing. Part II will be published on the 15th.

And why the hell not? The baby will be a shaheed, after all. Still in diapers, it will have a lot of growing up to do before it's ready for its heavenly virgins. Sick!

A HUSBAND and wife terror team planned to sacrifice their baby as part of a plot to blast transatlantic jets out of the sky, detectives fear.

Police probing the planned terror outrage are investigating an alleged gruesome plan to use the young baby as a "decoy".

They believe the man may have wanted to take his wife and child on board a flight and she was prepared to sacrifice her baby in the deadly suicide strike.

Cops believe they would have hidden deadly chemicals in the baby's milk. The grim discovery is behind the decision to make all mothers taste their baby's milk before boarding flights to make sure it has not been contaminated.

Detectives are horrified at the prospect the terror suspect could have been prepared to kill his own family.

Last night a high-ranking intelligence source said: "This takes things to a horrifying new level. It is truly horrific that a man may have been ready to blow up his wife and she was prepared to let her child die."

The husband was arrested at home as part of the dramatic dawn raids on Thursday. Last night he was still being quizzed by cops at a high-security police station. The suspect - one of 24 arrested - lived in a council flat.

Home Secretary John Reid has described as "a dreadful misjudgement" an open letter in which Muslim groups criticise British foreign policy.

The letter, signed by three Muslim MPs, three peers and 38 groups, suggested some policies provoked terrorists acts.

Mr Reid said no competent government would remain in power if policies were "dictated by terrorists".

Echoing this stance, former Tory leader Michael Howard said the letter had given "ammunition" to extremists.

He said: "It is, I think, completely misconceived to suggest that we should change our foreign policy because it might cause some people to take up arms against us.

"That's a form of blackmail and I think that letter was completely misconceived."

(...)

The home secretary said he would not question the motives of those who signed the letter, but said it was a "dreadful misjudgement if they believe that the foreign policy of this country should be shaped in part or in whole under the threat of terrorist activity".

Mr Reid told the BBC: "No government worth its salt would stay in power in my view, and no government worth its salt, would be supported by the British people if our foreign policy or any other aspect of policy was being dictated by terrorists.

"That is not the British way, it is antithetical to our very central values. We decide things in this country by democracy, not under the threat of terrorism."

Other ministers have called the letter "facile", "dangerous" and "foolish" and Downing Street said Mr Blair "stands ready" to confront his critics when he returns from summer holiday and defend his record over the Middle East.

The letter was signed by 38 groups, including the Muslim Council of Britain, and three of the four Muslim MPs.

Lord Stevens, the former Metropolitan Police Commissioner, created controversy yesterday when he called for "passenger profiling" on flights. Writing in the News of the World, he said airport chaos could be cut by more rigorous checks for "young Muslim men". He said that similar procedures had made Israeli airports the "safest in the world".

Muhammad Abdul Bari, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "This is an extreme form of stereotyping."